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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · pass · stock · shower · arm · row · game · plane

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. game — a match
  4. stock — goods
  5. plane — a tool
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. row — a line
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. game — wild animals
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stock — shares
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com